Introduction
A STUDY OF HEROES is designed for you, as an instructor, to make it your own. Use your expertise and your firsthand knowledge of your students' strengths, needs and interests when deciding which units and featured hero(es) your students will study; when and why the students will study them; and how they will study them.

A STUDY OF HEROES has a unique design. It is a flexible resource collection not a traditional tightly sequenced curriculum. HEROES has been designed to be ‘easily’ dropped into existing curricula and instructional programs or it can be implemented as a separate course of study. HEROES can be used in whole or in part and in any sequence. Activities are designed to be adopted or adapted and easily mixed and matched in an endless number of ways among the 30 units.

You can teach the 22 Hero Profile Units and 8 Companion Units in any order. And, you can use as many or as few activities and units as you deem appropriate. Instructors' selections may change from classroom to classroom and from year to year based on instructional styles and standards, as well as on practical and philosophical constraints.

Instructors in our pilot schools recommended that the program not impose a strict definition of the concept of "hero" on the students. They echoed: "Let the students grapple with the concept before they reach defining characteristics." In each Hero Profile Unit, the students are asked to think about whether the person studied is a hero and to justify their opinion with facts. Thus, HEROES stimulates dynamic debate and democratic dialogue not only in classrooms but also at home and in settings for all ages throughout the community.

Before you begin your work with students, hold a discussion about this program not only with all members of your school’s faculty, administration, and extended staff but also with your school's Parent Association and, if possible, with community leaders. Get them involved early so that they may participate, support, and share their own ideas about heroes with the students.

A STUDY OF HEROES stresses both academic skills as well as character development while bringing the classroom into the community and the community into the classroom. Conflict resolution, issues of right and wrong, community service and civic responsibility are inherent to A STUDY OF HEROES. Character development does not stop at the classroom door. It extends into the whole life of the student. With this in mind, HEROES has been designed to similarly reach out to and touch all aspects of a student’s life.


Setting The Stage
This section helps you familiarize yourself with the design and content of A STUDY OF HEROES.


HEROES Units: A Suggested Instructional Sequence
This section provides not only the titles of the 8 Companion Units (") and 22 Hero Profile Units (•) but also a suggested flexible instructional sequence for those who find such guidance helpful. A link to the The Instructor’s Guide is also available to be used as a reference at anytime


HEROES Units: Descriptive Highlights
This section provides a descriptive listing of all 30 HEROES units and is presented to reveal a suggested instructional sequence. A link to The Instructor’s Guide is also available to be used as a reference at anytime


HEROES Units: Sample Pages
This section offers selected student activity pages from all three levels of the program that will help you to evaluate A STUDY OF HEROES as an effective academic and character development resource for your school or organization.